Disposable cigarette holders

ABSTRACT

A cigarette holder is disclosed which is comprised of two equilength concentric perforated cylindrical elements with a heat conducting element arranged between them. The cylinders are axially displaced, with the perforations out of registry, so that one extends beyond the other longitudinally. The inner cylinder at the mouth end serves to accommodate a collar of nutrient material and the outer cylinder is provided with means facilitating the insertion and reception of a cigarette therein.

United States Patent 1191 Mezoff 1 Nov. 13, 1973 [54] DI L IGA ET H LDES 3,646,941 3/1972 Doppe1t.....; 131/9 3,133,545 5/1964 Meyer 131/11 X[75] lnvenmr- Pmvldence, 3,396,733 8/1968 Allseitsetal. 131/11 x [73]Assignee: Artmor Services Inc., Pawtucket, I

R.I. Primary Examiner-Melvin D. Rein [22] Filed: Jan. 7, 1972 [21] Appl.110.: 216,121 [57] ABSTRACT v A cigarette holder is disclosed which iscomprised of [52] U s 131,187 131,11 131,194 two equi-length concentricperforated cylindrical ele- [511 A241] 1/04 A 7/00 ments with a heatconducting element arranged be- [58] Fie'ld 8 9 10 tween them. Thecylinders are axially displaced, with 15 H the perforations out ofregistry, so that one extends beyond the other longitudinally. The innercylinder at [56] References Cited the mouth end serves to accommodate acollar of nutrient material and the outer cylinder is provided withUNITED STATES PATENTS means facilitating the insertion and reception ofa cig- 3,244,180 4/1966 Stone 131/4 R arette therei 3,413,978 12/1968Brill 131/4 R 2,804,874 9/1957 Vismick 131/9 UX 2 Claims, 5 DrawingFigures Patented Nov. 13, 1973 DISPOSABLE CIGARETTE HOLDERS Recentfindings have shown that smoking a cigarette causes a reduction of thevitamin C or ascorbic acid level in the body of the smoker by an amountequivalent to that present in one orange or, roughly, 50 mg. This hasgiven rise to the question of whether cigarette smoking may produceatherosclerosis as a result of depletion of vitamin C stores in thewalls of the arteries. Other beneficial effects of an adequate vitamin Clevel would, of course, also be placed in potential jeopardy. Theingestionof large amounts of vitamin C to anticipate any future demandon the body supply is difficult to achieve in that the excess of vitaminC above the amount required at the moment is eliminated; in other words,the human body apparently does not store vitamin C above its immediateneeds.

The present invention seeks to overcome the above deleterious effect ofsmoking by modifying the mouthpiece, or tip, of a disposable cigaretteholder in such a manner as to afford the user a means of obtaining areplacement of important nutrient material diminished by the act ofsmoking. Cigarette holders of various types and improvements are, ofcourse, old in the art, meeting objectives such as convenience,appearance or safer smoking. They, also, have been made separate fromthe cigarette or as an integral part of the cigarette as in present dayfilter-tipped cigarettes.

In the present invention a means is provided for preventing thedepletion of the vitamin C store of the body in a manner that diminishesthe possibility of smoking without at the same time replacing theutilized vitamin C.

Another object of the invention is to provide means in as simple andeconomical a manner as possible for producing disposable cigaretteholders and at the same time furnishing a surface for receiving nutrientagents capable of being ingested and absorbed by the smoker.

A further object of the invention is to provide a disposable cigaretteholder of a length substantially equal to that of an ordinary cigarettein order to facilitate packaging; that is, combining cigarettes andholders in a single container.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a disposablecigarette holder whose construction affords a cooled and filtered smokeand permits the incorporation of a tip possessing nutrient materialscapable of ingestion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a disposable cigaretteholder of such construction as to afford ease of insertion of thecigarette in the holder as well as producing a firm junction.

A further object of the invention is to provide a disposable cigaretteholder with a tip having an edible nutrient and of a length suitable toattach permanently to a standard cigarette in the manner of ordinaryfiltertipped cigarettes.

These and other objects of the invention are detailed in the followingdescription and drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the parts of a cigarette holder prior toassembly;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of an assembled holder according to theinvention;

FIG. 3 illustrates another method of furnishing the holder with a tipcontaining edible material;

FIG. 4 depicts the method of inserting a cigarette in the holder FIG. 5is a view of a modification of the holder when applied to form afilter-tipped cigarette.

Referring to FIG. 1, the reference number 10 denotes a blank of flexiblecalendered paperboard about 0.01 in. thick and provided withperforations 12 in a portion of the blank. The reference number 14depicts a sheet of very thin material having a high coefficient of heatconductance, such as aluminum foil, and whose width and length aresimilar to those of the blank 10. Another blank 16 of similar calenderedpaperboard, also with perforations 18 in a limited area of the blank, isinvthe view.

Number 20 refers to a collar or cylindric tip which may be produced bycustomary extrusion or moulding methods and, for exemplary purposes, mayconsist of compressed material comprising powdered ascorbic acid orcombinations of such acid with sodium ascorbate or calcium ascorbateplus 1 percent powdered gelatin and sufficient water to form a cohesive,plastic mass. Edible excipients, other than gelatin, may be utilized,and flavoring agents may be incorporated, if desired. For purposes ofillustrating the invention, the extrusion or moulding mass may be socompounded that, by use of suitable diluents, the completed tip 20 willcontain approximately mg. of ascorbic acid, thus furnishing about twicethe amount desirable for replacement purposes if all were ingested,which would hardly be likely.

In FIG. 2, the components of FIG. 1 are shown in assembled form. Thecompleted holder is formed by first rolling the blank 16 into cylindricform lengthwise with the edges 22 abutting in parallel fashion. Theouter diameter of this cylinder should be substantially equal to that ofthe cigarette to be used with it. The element 14 is then adhesivelyattached to the blank 10, covering it completely. This combination isnow wrapped around the cylinder 16 with the element 14 between thepaperboards 16 and 10, and the abutting edges 24 meeting in a linediametrically opposite to that of the edges 22. Also, the concentric,equal-length cylinders thus fonned extend beyond each other by aboutone-half inch. By use of a suitable adhesive the elements 10, 14, and 16are bound together with only terminal portions 26 and 28 of the edges 22and 24, respectively, remaining free. When the collar or tip 20 isslipped over the end of the inner cylinder 16 and adhesively attachedthereto, the edges 26 are also held firmly in place. The outer diameterof the tip 20 should be substantially equal to that of the cylinder 10.The overall length of the holder should, preferably, be substantiallyequal to that of the cigarette to be used with it.

It should be noted that the perforations 12 and 18 are so disposed thatwhen the concentric cylinders 10 and 16 are formed and positioned asdescribed that they do not coincide, and thus there is supportivebacking for the thin element 14 either from the paperboard 10 or 16throughout its entire area.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3, the exposed end ofcylinder 16 is covered by a strip of tipping paper 30 coated withmaterial 32, similar to that of collar or tip 20, throughout most of itslength; the uncoated end 34 serving as a starting point for adhesiveattachment of the strip 30 to the cylinder 16. By bringing the edge 36around the cylinder 16 to abut and adhere against the edge 38 the tip iscompleted.

In using the holder, see FIG. 4., the cigarette end 40 is forced underthe edges 28 to spread them apart slightly and thus facilitate insertingthe cigarette to the end of the inner cylinder 16. The edges 28 returnapproximately to their original position to hold the cigarette firmly inplace when the longitudinal axis of the cigarette is brought in linewith that of the holder. The interior of cylinder 16 can be utilized toaccomodate various filtering materials 50 and, inasmuch as its length ismuch greater than that of commonly used filters, the filtering materialcan be packed more loosely and thus lessen any restriction of the flowof smoke. The element 14 acts as a heat sink, conducting heat from theperforations 18 to perforations 12 to cool the smoke prior toinhalation. When the holder tip is placed on the lips and moistened, thesoluble material 20 or 32 becomes available to the user throughout thesmoking process and serves to replace the nutrient lost as a result ofsmoking as previously described.

FIG. illustrates a form of the invention in which a shortened holder 42is permanently attached to a cigarette 44 to produce a filter-tippedcigarette of the type in common use today. In this case the length offilter and cooling surface is diminished but the tip provides an effectequal to that in the independent holder. The portion 46 of the outercylinder holding the cigarette 44 is shorter than in the independenttype of holder since the adhesive attachment permits a smaller contactsurface.

It should be understood that materials or embodiments other than thosedescribed may be employed without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe invention.

I claim:

1. A disposable cigarette holder comprising two equilength concentric,perforated cylinders so positioned that the perforations are out ofregistry, with a heat conducting element disposed between the cylinders,and each cylinder extending beyond the other longitudinally, theextended portion of the inner cylinder serving as supporting surface fora collar or tip of edible, nutrient material firmly attached thereto,the overall diameter or the collar or tip being equal to the overalldiameter of the holder to form a continuous surface for the entirelength of the holder, and the extended end of the outer cylinderprovided with means facilitating the insertion of a cigarette within theholder.

2. A disposable cigarette holder as in claim 1, with the outer cylinderbeing of such flexible and elastic material that a longitudinal slit inthe portion extending beyond the inner cylinder provides a meansfacilitating the insertion of a cigarette within the holder.

1. A disposable cigarette holder comprising two equilength concentric,perforated cylinders so positioned that the perforations are out ofregistry, with a heat conducting element disposed between the cylinders,and each cylinder extending beyond the other longitudinally, theextended portion of the inner cylinder serving as supporting surface fora collar or tip of edible, nutrient material firmly attached thereto,the overall diameter or the collar or tip being equal to the overalldiameter of the holder to form a continuous surface for the entirelength of the holder, and the extended end of the outer cylinderprovided with means facilitating the insertion of a cigarette within theholder.
 2. A disposable cigarette holder as in claim 1, with the outercylinder being of such flexible and elastic material that a longitudinalslit in the portion extending beyond the inner cylinder provides a meansfacilitating the insertion of a cigarette within the holder.